CMF and CICT fund Sri Lanka’s Wheelchair Tennis Programme with another US$ 35,000

Wheelchair Tennis, a sport that has created Paralympians of the calibre of Suresh Ranjan Dharmasena for Sri Lanka, has received a further commitment of support from the China Merchants Foundation (CMF) and Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) with a donation of US$ 35,000 -- approximately Rs 12.9 million.  
The donation was presented to the Sri Lanka Tennis Association (SLTA) at a ceremony held on September 15, 2022.   

This donation is part of CICT’s continuing support to the Wheelchair Tennis Programme of the SLTA, in conjunction with the CMF which is the social responsibility arm of CICT’s parent company, China Merchants Group (CMG).  
CICT has been one of the principal benefactors of Sri Lanka’s Wheelchair Tennis Programme since 2015 and donated US$ 30,000 to the cause in 2021 too.   

More than Rs 54 million has been donated by CICT in support the programme over the past seven years.   
Additionally, CICT in collaboration with the CMF donated custom-made, professional grade titanium wheelchairs to the value of US$ 9,000 to three internationally-ranked Sri Lankan wheelchair tennis players in 2020. CICT has also funded the refurbishment of two international standard hard surface courts at SLTA to bolster the sport in the country. The Wheelchair Tennis Programme was initiated in Sri Lanka in 2003 as a rehabilitation programme for differently-abled soldiers. Currently, Sri Lanka has 13 wheelchair tennis players who have secured international rankings.